Hundreds of women in England are to be offered the first new treatment for advanced cervical cancer in about 15 years on the NHS, officials have announced, amid a concerted push to boost women’s health.
The immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab will be available to those with incurable forms of the disease immediately after it won the green light from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), the drugs regulator. Currently, two women with the disease die every day.
Given in combination with chemotherapy, pembrolizumab stimulates the body’s immune system to fight cancer, targeting a specific protein that enables the drug to wipe out cancer cells. It can help extend patients’ lives by as much as eight months on average, data shows.
“After nearly 15 years without a new treatment for this type of advanced cervical cancer, this first immunotherapy marks a significant step forward that will provide hundreds of people with precious time with their loved ones,” said John Stewart, NHS England’s specialised commissioning director.
Ministers last year vowed to tackle decades of “systemic” gender health inequality with the publication of the government’s first women’s health strategy. Cancer was among the top priorities in the plan.
About 2,600 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in England. The disease is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 34, according to Cancer Research UK.
About 400 women with advanced forms of the disease will now benefit from the life-extending treatment after NHS England struck a deal to fast-track the drug through the Cancer Drugs Fund.
Ali Wheatland, 35, from Torquay, Devon, who has advanced cervical cancer, described the news as “life changing”. “I have now been on chemotherapy treatment for recurrent stage four cervical cancer for just over a year, which has been tough,” she said.
“This news and knowing that there are now more treatment options becoming available, is making me so much more hopeful of a healthier, happier and longer life with my loved ones.”
The drug is already offered by the NHS in England for the treatment of other cancers, including bowel, lung, skin and breast. Nice has now given the green light for patients with cervical cancer whose disease has not responded to other treatments.
The NHS national director for cancer, Cally Palmer, said: “Making this life-extending drug available today is a significant moment for women with advanced cervical cancer, which disproportionately affects younger women, allowing them to spend more precious time with loved ones and enjoy a better and longer quality of life.”
The move comes amid a drive to deliver access to innovative new treatments, with nearly a third more cancer drugs now available in England compared with Europe.
“Today is a win for women, offering the hope of more precious time with loved ones,” said Helen Whately, a health minister. “We are committed to providing world-class cancer care to patients and always working to find trailblazing, new treatments.”
Samantha Dixon, the chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, a charity, said the news was “fantastic”, particularly because treatments for those living with advanced cervical cancer have previously been “far too limited”.
The drug will give women “valuable options, hope and most importantly time,” she added.
“Cervical cancer affects women of all ages, many are young. They have families, children, jobs, caring responsibilities. Pembrolizumab can slow the progression of cervical cancer and the impact of this on those who are eligible for the treatment cannot be overstated.”
